Empty Wallets!

[Orky15]

Is it reasonable to have a budget of less than $3000 for two adults (honeymoon) for a 4 night WDW vacation including a lagoon view concierge room at the Yacht Club?

$1200--4 nights Yacht Club
$200--1 night Hyatt Regency Airport
$1200--airline tickets
$450--park tickets

$3200 total... not including food or souvenirs!

Is there any way to get discounts on airline tickets in first/business class? My fiancee refuses to travel any other way, and the prices are staggering.

 

[lmmollohan]

Someone posted a link to the Holiday Inn web site and they are offering 2 for 1 on airfare between certain cities. Orlando and Cleveland are on there so I would imagine Columbus is too. Not sure where in Ohio you are. There are restrictions of course but they put in the small print to give them a call because some restrictions can be overlooked.

You will have to stay in a Holiday Inn before your Honeymoon and send in the receipt to receive your voucher so if you travel on business this could work out for you.

Hope it helps. The subject of the post said something about 2-4-1 airfare.

Good luck!

 

[tednvon]

Not sure where you are in Ohio, but check "airtran.com" business class out a several Ohio cities...........Ted.........IMHO, "refusing"to fly anything but 1st class is a little rigid, especially if $$ is an issue.....hope other decisions are not as "non negtioable."..................good luck!

 

[mummajea]

I think you could do a lot better on all those prices.

A Airport hotel for $200??? Unless this is you weding night i think you could do much better. You can get cheaper rates at the Hyatt in Chicago!!

You must be paying rack rate for the Yacht Club or going during Peak season.

You can get business class cheaper, but very rarely first class. There is away of doing it that sometimes works. You book a lower fair, and when you check in, ask if you can upgrade to first class. you have to pay for it of course, but it sometimes in cheaper. Price varies. and it is not a given that you will get it. It is space available.

Join disney Club to get room, admission, and food discounts. Our 40 vucks spent on that memebership has saved us over $1500 just on the vacation.

 

[robinb]

Welcome to Disney Sticker Shock! In your case, it's combined with Wedding Sticker Shock .

Prices can sneak up on you when you start planning a no holds barred money is no object honeymoon. Unfortunately, the only way that you will save money is by lowering your expectations.

Here are some suggestions:

* A regular room at the Yacht Club and not the concierge.
* A concierge (club) room at the Swan or Dolphin.
* A different hotel near the airport.
* Coach instead of first class.

I would also suggest that you work with your hubby-to-be on a rough budget. Many people go into debt for their weddings, but it isn't something I would recommend if you can help it.

 

[dan and scott]

Dan and I fly Delta Express out of Columbus and pay anywhere from $100-210 tops!! Even if you don't fly delta express--Southwest is still cheaper than what you are paying. We go 5 times a year and never even on spur of the moment have payed those OUTRAGEOUS fares. Delta Express is our choice because it has early flights into/out of Orlando 8:45 a.m. and the latest is 7:45p.m. departure??
Check all alternative airports such as Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburge, Canton/Akron, Dayton, Cinci.
As for the hotel you could be spending much less at Disney without the concierge.
You could even stay the last night on property ---the airport is only 25 minutes away--or even go with a low bid on priceline --we've stayed at the Marriot World Center and the Downtown Disney Hilton for $95 a night through priceline. Still 25 minutes away from airport. Priceline is a bit risky sometimes-just have to know what you are doing.

And by all means Keep Reading these boards.

Scott

 

[FoodLover]

Orky15, this will probably surprise a lot of people here because of my reputation for being able to find amazing bargains at Disney, but I think your budget sounds a little bit on the LOW side for what you're hoping to do.

The regular rates for YC Concierge Lagoon View are $445-615 per night in 2001, depending on season. To get such a room for $300 a night would mean a huge discount. I'm not saying it's impossible, but if you haven't already found this rate and booked it for your dates, don't assume it will be available.

The rate at the Hyatt is about right -- have you checked availability and rates for your dates? It could go higher -- or you could luck out and get a $99 rate like we did.

If you can get business-class tickets from Ohio to Orlando for as little as $600 per person, you know something I don't. Business class and first class tickets are EXPENSIVE. The only way you're going to get them for less is to use frequent flyer miles to upgrade a coach fare. If you don't have enough miles, maybe someone in your family does and would be willing to make a wedding gift of them. That person would have to buy the tickets in your name.

You might be able to get your passes for slightly less. I know of a site that sells a 4-day Hopper Plus (yes, a Plus) for $205 each plus $10 shipping per order. I haven't used this site or talked to anyone who has bought tickets from it, so it's not on MouseSavers, but if you're interested I'll be happy to send you the URL.

Lastly, don't forget about taxes, which will add 6% to your totals.

I don't mean to depress you. I just think you will have to scale back your expectations a little if you're going to stay under $3000!

 

[Orky15]

I did get the Yacht CLub Concierge at $300 per night...

Thanks everyone for your help/advice... I just booked a night at the Hyatt Regency Orlando In't. for $125 and we got tickets for a continental flight for around $500 (total) after my fiancee cashed in his frequent flier miles.

Revised budget:

Hotels: $1325 total
Airfare: $ 600 total
Tickets $ 450 total

A much nicer figure of only $2375... that leaves us with a comfortable buffer of over $500 before we hit the $3000 mark.

Money isn't a huge issue, but I'd rather not spend a gazillion dollars on a 5/6 day trip Plus, I've never flown before, so I had major airfare sticker shock!!!

 

[fkj2]

OK, not to be tacky, but many of us who hit the boards have also used Priceline for the day of arrival/day of departure for the hotel. There is a site which gives you advice if you want to consider that, along with ratings and recent bid histories of hotels in the area you designate( 2*,3*,etc.). Last Dec., I bid $35 with bonus money and got the Wyndham on International Drive; came to about $42 with the tax and Priceline transfer cost, and I probably could have done even better if I had just researched a little bit more, but it was certainly better than the rack rate of about $180.

Oh, and don't forget that as an on-site guest, you can make priority dinner seatings 60 days prior to arrival, so think about your restaurant choices ahead of time.

 

[Orky15]

How is the hopper plus different from the hopper? I just want to be completely free to do whatever whenever without being concerned about passes

 

[robinb]

Look Here for Pass Info:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tickets.htm

You will probably want the "Ultimate Park Hopper" since it allows you to go to "everything" from the day you check in through the day you check out.

 

[Orky15]

Ultimate Park Hopper...That's what I was planning on getting... thanks!!!

This is all coming together perfectly! I am so pysched!